This invention relates to a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant which is a sport of the cultivar Florida Marble, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,288 named California Marble.
This sport was discovered and selected from a flowering of Florida Marble in commerical greenhouses in Fremont, Calif. in May 1979 because of its distinctly darker, pleasing color.
In comparison with other Marble cultivars in the yellow category, the dark sport is closest in characteristics to its parent, Florida Marble. The dark sport is similar to Florida Marble in:
1. Nine week response time.
2. Flowering height.
3. Foliage color and shape.
4. Daisy Flower Form.
The characteristics which distinguish it from its parent and the other yellow Marbles are:
1. It has a darker flower color.
2. It is less prone to color fading, and
3. There is less twisting and reflexing of the ray florets during maturity, contributing to an overall appearance of a fresher flower.
A comparison of the color and fading of the new cultivar with Yellow Marble, Polished Marble, and Florida Marble follows:
Yellow Marble: Its tonality is light yellow which fades considerably and unevenly during high temperature periods, contributing to an uneven appearance of color. PA0 Polished Marble: Its tonality is light cream-yellow and its overall appearance is that of a pastel, very smooth color. The color fades during high temperature periods, but color is less variable than Yellow Marble. PA0 Florida Marble: Its tonality is dark yellow and the new cultivar is closest in intensity of color to Florida Marble. The color of Florida Marble fades during high temperature periods giving an uneven appearance. The color of Florida Marble during high temperature periods, closely resembles the low temperature color of Yellow Marble. PA0 California Marble: Its tonality is dark golden yellow. During high temperature periods the color fades less than the other Yellow Marbles described, and the overall appearance of the color is smoother and more uniform. An additional feature of California Marble is that as the flowers mature, there is less twisting and reflexing of the ray florets contributing to an overall appearance of a fresher flower, or more "tidy", as the English would describe it.
Asexual reproduction and flowerings of this new cultivar by cuttings was performed at Fremont, Calif. in commercial greenhouses. The new cultivar was found to retain its distinctive characteristics as listed herein through successive propagations.